Fatefully
by Maddie-the-Cattie
Summary: It seemed that, only by fate, could the two be standing together, there and then.
1. A Call From His Dad

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own iCarly.**

_Sam's Perspective_

I tore the meat forcefully from the giant turkey leg I held in my hands. Mmm... One of the best turkey legs ever... So tender and juicy... And flavorful, too... I stuffed another seemingly impossible bite into my already full mouth. This was _heaven..._

...Until I noticed a certain dishrag staring at me with a disgusted look on his face... What?... _Yeah, _Freddie! Who else would I be talkin' about?!... Geez, anyway, he was staring at me. And I hate it when people stare at me. I really hate it when people stare at me in disgust... And I really, _really_ hate him!

So I growled... And glared. My beady little blue eyes... Staring right into his soul. That sounds about right... I smirked. Freddie didn't move a muscle... He narrowed his eyes.

Gosh-darn it! He's getting better at this!

"What are you staring at, dork-wad?"

"Some strange new species, whose obvious main dietary substance is that poor, poor turkey..." He shrugged and went back to... Well, whatever it was he was doing...

I kept staring at him, hoping to give him a feel of what it was like for me. For several minutes, he kept staring at that darn computer screen, typing in nerd-ish codes and what-not... However, eventually I got to him. Sam Puckett always gets the last laugh...

He slowly turned to me, his eyes sparking in the light... "What. Do. You. Want?" He growled each word, with a mean expression written on his face.

"...Looks like it's _someone's _time of the month...," I shot at him, smirking.

He made a face at me. "At least I'd be _going _through that time."

It took me a moment to realize what he was saying... Boy, he is treading on dangerous territory now!

I sighed, and said, "Well, it'd be your baby, too!"

Uh... uh-oh... I did not just give him those many opportunities...

He snickered. "Oh, Sam, _dear_, _congratulations! _Your first _baby_! With _me_!" He scoffed.

The sarcasm was clear, and I was blushing madly.

Just then, Spencer walked in, carrying a bag of ostrich food. "Hey, Sam, Fredd-O! Off to feed my ostrich!" He ran off to his room, and I heard a noise sounding like an irritated beast. Marvin.

Then Carly walked in, carrying four bags of groceries. Freddie snatched the opportunity up as quickly as I normally would.

He smirked, and said, "Sam, _honey_, aren't you going to tell our _best friend _about our precious little _baby_?" He put on a fake, "excited," face.

...And Carly thought he was serious.

She dropped the groceries. Every single one of them. "I—You—Tell me about... WHAT!?!" She paled, and her eyes widened.

Freddie _cracked up. _Of course it was funny to him! He'd won!

Still... It was 1 to 11,189... And in counting!

"Carly...," I mumbled, "...Not literally..."

She sighed, relieved. "Dear _God_, don't scare me like that again!" Then she started picking up the groceries she'd dropped. Freddie got up to help. "Thank God for plastic containers," I heard him mumble to himself as he started picking up

Then she got all curious, and asked, "How did it go _this _time?" She was talking about the argument, of course. Carly stuck a rather delectable looking pack of chicken wings back into a paper bag... I'd have to find a way to get my paws on _that..._

"Well?" Carly asked, bringing me back to reality.

"Oh," I said, and Freddie and I reenacted our little spat.

...Then the three of us burst out laughing.

"_Wow_!" Carly remarked. "I can't believe you guys actually managed to get into _that_!"

"That's us!," I replied, grinning from ear to ear.

"As _if_," Freddie said to me, smiling in the same way I was.

The three of us laughed lightly a little more.

Carly and Freddie grabbed the bags, now full of the groceries, from the floor, and set them down on the counter.

"You know," Carly remarked, "you could have helped."

"Since when have I ever cared about helping?" I mumbled.

Freddie rolled his eyes.

"You are so lazy!" Carly said, laughing slightly. That big grin on her face ruined any tone of anger or frustration that would have covered her voice.

"Isn't that one of my simply amazing qualities you love about me?" I asked, holding out my arms in a, "Hug me!" way. I grinned. _Please forgive me_?

She laughed.

"Oh, hey," said Freddie from the couch, "_Girly Cow _is on!" His laptop was closed. Obviously, he'd gotten bored from his nerdy hobby, and decided to come back down to earth.

"Ooh, cool!" I said, plopping myself down next to him. Hint: He was sitting in the middle of the couch.

Carly sat down next to him. "Which one is it?"

"The one where her evil twin sister comes to visit the farm."

"Oh, cool," Carly replied. "I love that one."

The three of us chilled out, watchin' us some there good _Girly Cow_!

About five or six hours had gone by. I was half asleep when Freddie wondered out loud, "Where's my mom?"

I shrugged. "Wouldn't she normally be having a nervous breakdown by now?" It was almost midnight.

Carly stifled a yawn. "Maybe she had to work late at the hospital."

"Hmm... Maybe," Freddie replied, yawning. His tone said that he didn't really care; that he was just too tired to care.

Agreed, Freddork. Agreed.

He closed his eyes, and so did I. The three of us fell half asleep domino fashion—Freddie was on my side, and Carly was on his.

We hardly heard Freddie's cell phone ring. I felt him jump. He sat up, waking up Carly, and hurriedly answered the call, not bothering to check the number.

"Hello?"

By now, I was 75% of the way awake. But the next word out of his mouth woke both me and Carly up completely. Immediately.

"D-Dad?..."

**So, I'm going to keep this, but get rid of iSave a Life. (This was going to be the second part. I just don't think the first part is going anywhere anytime soon... Besides, it doesn't really get interesting until this part. ;)) I'm also going to illustrate each chapter. (Yes, I draw, too. More than I write. _Better _than I write.) I'll give a link to that gallery as soon as possible. :) Review, please? And thanks for reading!**


	2. She's Gone

**JamaicaLove told me it should be sadder. So I made it sadder, thus opening up a nice little Seddie chapter (next chapter.) Disclaimer: I do not own iCarly. 'Nuff said.**

_(Sam's Perspective) ...By now, I was 75% of the way awake. But the next word out of his mouth woke both me and Carly up completely. Immediately._

"_D-Dad?..."_

_Freddie's Perspective_

I was barely aware of my friends next to me. My _father_ was on the phone! The last time I've even... _seen _him was... Oh, so long ago... I was about... _three? _Maybe four?...

"Freddie, son...," he said into the phone. He sounded... I don't know, shaken. Maybe... Sad, disappointed? What? I've never been all that well at sensing emotions over the phone...

"Dad, what--"

I was interrupted when he said, "Sorry about waking you up at this hour," (I glanced at the clock on the side table—12:17 A.M. ) "but... I have some bad news..."

"What's wrong?" Was my mom home yet?... Was she _okay_?!... "Is this about my mom?..."

"Sadly, yes," my father replied. He took a deep, shaky breath... It scared the chiz out of me...

...Oh-no... Something bad has happened to my mom. I just know it...

"Dad," I said, in a clear, demanding tone, "What happened?"

"Freddie, your mom was in a bad car accident on her way home..." He trailed off. He was hoping I'd get it. I didn't.

"What are you saying? Was she hurt?..."

"Freddie, listen to me. It was _too late_ for your mother."

… What?... No, no... I have to have heard _wrong_... This has to be a... a... _dream_... a... _nightmare_... A moment of tense silence passed between my father, my two best friends, and me...

"...What?... So... She's..." I couldn't finish... I couldn't say it!

"Freddie, what happened?" I could barely hear Carly. It sounds absurd, I know...

"I'm sorry, son."

There was a split second of utter silence, then I shouted, "NO!"

"Freddie, son, listen..." I didn't hear the rest.

"No, no..." I whispered. "She can't be... Not... Anything but... _dead_..." I broke down as the realization really washed over me. "NO!" My knees came up to my chin, and I was suddenly very scared. What would I do without my neurotic mother... Making sure I'm—I'm... tick free?...

Much as she annoyed the crap out of me sometimes, I still loved her! She was... Well, my mom!...

I heard Carly gasp. Where was Sam?...

"Freddie, calm down for a second, okay? Listen to me," I heard my dad say to me.

I took a deep breath, and I managed to stop my hysterics for a minute while I listened to him. Reality started coming back, and I felt a touch on my right arm... Sam. There was some force, just enough to hold me back...

"Freddie, I'm in Seattle now."

"Y-You are?..."

"Yes. I'm coming over first thing tomorrow morning. I know where Bushwell Plaza is, but what's the apartment number?"

"...8D... But, I'll probably be right across the hall."

"Why?"

"M-My friends are there."

"Oh... okay. Well, try to get some sleep. I'm not going to lie to you—You have a long week ahead of you."

"I... I was expecting..."

"I'm going to let you go now. I know I don't say this enough, son, but I love you. I really do."

"I love you, too, dad...," I replied. I knew he did... We just... Didn't see each other enough... I hung up the phone. Sam released her grip on me slightly.

"_What happened_?" Carly asked me, exaggerating each word so it'd be impossible for me not to answer.

I took a deep breath, and tried to find the right words as tears streaked down my face. Too much was happening at once...

"Uh-- C-car accident..."

"Freddie, I'm so sorry... I--," Carly started. I interrupted her. "Please don't apologize. There's no way on Earth that this was your fault."

Carly nodded, took a deep breath, and started to cry herself. "But, still..."

Then the suddenly ever-so-quiet Sam did the most unexpected thing... She embraced me in a tight hug. She caught me way off guard... For a moment, it was all I could do to breathe...

But, there was no wedgie, or anything of that sort, so I returned the embrace.

It lasted for a total of 6 seconds...

She pulled away, slowly, and stared at me, like she was trying to communicate some secret thought or memory with me... Her expression... It was like a mixture of... Nostalgia and sadness...

I cocked my head to one side, questioning. "What's wrong?" My voice broke when I talked.

She just shook her head, and turned away...I wonder what was wrong? ...That's so unlike her...

"Let's all get some sleep...," Carly suggested. I nodded, and Sam just laid down the same way she was the first time. I bravely got back in the same position, and so did Carly. I guess, for three people sharing one couch, it was probably the most comfortable way to sleep...

I wasn't ever able to fall asleep... I listened as Carly and Sam slowly but surely drifted off to sleep... My mind wandered... I tried thinking of things that weren't about what had just happened. I cried... I tried counting sheep. (Ridiculous, I know... But I was desperate to get some sleep.)

What felt like an eternity was only an hour... This was going to be a _long _night...

I took a deep breath, and very carefully—_very _carefully—got myself off of the couch.

I let a few tears escape. I wasn't going to start bawling and wake them up. No, they don't deserve to be awake all night, worrying about me. I'd be fine, I suppose...

Then it suddenly occurred to me how thirsty I was... I thought about staying here for a moment, then decided it'd be safer for me to go on home.

I quietly snatched up my phone from the coffee table and started to make my way on to my apartment, when I noticed that Carly and Sam had no blanket...

I sighed, and went to Spencer's, "blanket," closet and grabbed two fleece throws. I threw one over Carly, and the other as best I could over Sam.

Then, satisfied they wouldn't get cold overnight, I exited Carly's place, closing the door quietly behind me.

I blinked in the sudden light. (The lights are always on in the hallways.) Once my eyes adjusted, I grabbed my apartment key from my pocket, and went into my apartment.

I went in, closed the door behind me, and really started to cry. Hard.

It was combination of things, 99% being, of course, my mother's death. I was also frustrated at the fact that I was so tired, and that I couldn't sleep to save my life right now...

And it also just occurred to me that... I'd have to leave my friends behind, probably. Unless my father decides to move to Seattle... And that most likely won't happen.

I've lost my mom, I couldn't sleep, and, soon, I'd have to go far away, and make all new friends...

It was all overwhelming. I walked in darkness over to the side table and turned on the lamp. It was just enough light so I could see my way into the kitchen. I got a glass, and filled it up with water. I downed the whole glass in one drink.

Then, I sat down on the couch, and I cried twice as hard. Everything was too much now... If it was _this_ hard for me now, I didn't _want_ to know how this week was going to go...

I was so wrapped up in my own thoughts, I jumped and literally yelped when I heard Sam in the doorway. "Freddie?"

**So, what do you think? Is it better? Worse? Tell me. I still have the first one on here. So tell me. Personally, I like this better. It's more... Realistic? Yeah, that's the word. Review please. And thank you for reading. (If you haven't read the first ending, and you want to read that ending, just send me a message. I'll gladly let you read it. :))**


	3. Comforting

**If you did not read the edited version of Chapter 2, you will have to read it to understand this chapter. So, I update. Disclaimer--I own NO iCarly. Thank you.**

_(Freddie's Perspective) Then, I sat down on the couch, and I cried twice as hard. Everything was too much now... If it was this hard for me now, I didn't want to know how this week was going to go... _

_I was so wrapped up in my own thoughts, I jumped and literally yelped when I heard Sam in the doorway. "Freddie?"_

_Sam's Perspective_

"I'm sorry!" I whispered, loud enough for Freddie to hear. "I didn't mean to scare you!" I half skipped more into the light from the lamp.

"What do you want?..." Freddie was wary of me. Of course he was. I'd tortured him and made his life a living hell. And now, I regret it. For some weird reason, I regret being "Sam-like" to him.

So I held up my hands in surrender. "I don't want to hurt you."

He narrowed his eyes, still crying. "Well then... Why are you here?..."

"Well, first I wanted to thank you for the blanket." He glanced at me in a confused way. "I wanted to give you one," I continued. I tossed another fleece throw from the closet onto his lap. He grabbed it, always keeping one eye on me, and wrapped it around himself. He was obviously cold, as once it was draped around his shoulders, he held it close to his body. And he shivered.

Then he started to sob again. He cupped his face in his hands. Wow, this must have been hard on him. I've never seen him like this... He was always so strong, never one to cry...

I sighed, and sat down next to him on the couch. I knew how it felt... Just not what to say. I put my hand on his shoulder.

"Freddie, it... It gets easier. I promise."

"How would you know?" he asked, bitterness slathering his tone. I didn't get mad. If anyone else had talked to me like that, under other circumstances, I would have knocked them unconscious with one blow from my fist. But, considering that he didn't know that I knew, that he knew nothing of my childhood at all...

I sighed, grabbed his chin lightly, and forced him to look me in the eye. "My father died when I was five years old." Before I'd ever met Carly. Certainly before I ever met Freddie...

Freddie stared at me, still crying lightly, silently. I could from his tone he didn't mean it, but he said, "You're a good liar..."

"Freddie, I'm not lying," I said to him, with a slight, half-hearted chuckle.

"I know," he replied, with a sigh. "I was just hoping you were... Sam, you should have told us."

"Yeah, I know... There just... There was never any reason to..."

"Was it this hard for you?"

I could feel the tears coming as I remembered seeing it...

Melanie and I were only five, barely in kindergarten, and we were forced to watch the murder of our father...

My voice would have broke had I talked, so I just nodded. A little too quickly.

"Sam, are you okay?"

I just nodded again.

Freddie stared at me with worry in his crying eyes... He was so... sweet. What?--Well, he is! He would drop everything for those he loves—Even if he's going through the roughest thing you could throw on a teenager...

Freddie laid down on his side of the couch. Then he said, his voice breaking, "Why don't you go to sleep, Sam?" It wasn't curt. If anything, he was concerned for my health. _My _health.

I took a deep breath, calming myself down so I could talk evenly. "For some stupid reason, your not being able to sleep is keeping me awake..."

He glanced at me. "What?..."

"I don't know, Freddie," I replied, "But it's true..."

"Hmm..."

I laid down on my side of the couch. We laid there in silence, dozing... Half asleep, half awake... For I don't know how long...

Freddie broke the silence. "If you don't mind, how did your father die?"

I whimpered... Yes, I whimpered, okay? "No... Please, I--"

"It's okay. I understand."

We laid in silence again, and I heard his breathing become uneven as he started to cry again.

I sighed, sat up, and leaned over him, rubbing his arm. "Shh..."

"She's gone..." he mumbled.

I relaxed on his side. I ran my fingers through his hair.

He took a deep shuddering breath, and said, "She's gone, Sam... and she's not coming back. And I'm... I'm... I... Why did she have to go?..."

"Nobody knows why innocent people have to die for no good reason..."

He took a deep breath, and let out a long cry. We laid there for hours. He cried his eyes out, and I just ran my hands through his hair. "Shh..."

I don't know why we were like this that night. Maybe we had just found a common ground. Maybe... Maybe I cared for him, and I just didn't realize it. Maybe we were a lot closer than we thought...

"Freddie, you need sleep...," I eventually said. I made sure my tone was gentle.

"I can't...," he replied. He'd stopped crying, but he was still too sad to fall asleep.

Freddie was going to sleep one way or another. It was already 4:47!

"...my head hurts..."

"You're tired, Freddie..."

"...I know..."

"Then go to sleep..."

"But I can't..."

"But you have to."

I sighed, and started to subtly massage his shoulders. Like I said, he was getting to sleep one way or another.

"Time heals old wounds...," I murmured to him.

"...but there will always be scars...," we both said together.

He took a deep breath. It was even. I looked over to his face. He'd closed his eyes. I waited until I was sure he was asleep, and then I slowly fell asleep.

**I know Sam was out of character, okay? Don't tell me. Thank you for reading, review please?**


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